Picture of the day - April 7, 2007

"Hanged By Mistake"

Photo courtesy of William Taylor. "Here Lies George Johnson, Hanged By Mistake 1882 - He Was Right, We Was Wrong - But We Strung Him Up And Now He's Gone." So reads one of the many famous tombstones marking the graves in legendary Boot Hill Cemetery. Founded in 1878 on a hill overlooking Tombstone, Arizona, Boot Hill is one of the most famous graveyards in the United States. Boot Hill was so named because of the way many of the 300 or so people lying there were buried - with their boots on! Back in those days if a fellow died unexpectedly (as in he was shot or lynched), he "died with his boots on" - and that's exactly how he was buried. Many of the writings on the headstones in Boot Hill are quite humorous, including the most famous headstone of all, which reads: "Here Lies Lester Moore - Four Slugs From A 44 - No Les No More" Of course the poor guys who were buried beneath all those rocks would probably fail to appreciate the humor, especially poor George Johnson! If only they had listened to him when he undoubtedly said "But I didn't do it!".   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!            Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"